“Up She Goes!”—Clay Pigeon Shooting Attracts Aucklanders

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 797, 18 October 1929, Page 12

“Up She Goes !” —Clay Pigeon Shooting Attracts Aucklanders

AXE of the lesser -known sports of j comparatively modern develop- j ment —but one which exercises a i peculiar fascination over its increasing number of devotees —is clay-bird ' shooting. To the uninitiated (among whom the writer could count himself till he visited the Metropolitan Gun Club’s j ground for a big match last Saturday) the word clay-bird conjures up | visions of pigeons fashioned not in I flesh but clay, and released in some j mysterious manner on an artificial j flight before the hawk-like eyes and ! deadly barrels of sportsmen, whom j public opinion had compelled to re- I frain from the inhuman practice of ! shooting real live pigeons in vast numbers when the birds are placed at an initial disadvantage. Thus one of the surprises of a first afternoon at a clay-bird shoot, is to learn that the claybird is an earthernware disc four inches in diameter, and very like a small pot lid in shape! There are two clubs in Auckland at present enthusiastically devoted to the sport—the Auckland Gun Club and the Metropolitan Gun Club. The latter’s ground at Glen Eden is situated in a typical rustic setting, and every fortnight summer and winter all the year round, meetings are held. Clay-bird shooting attracts many sportsmen who wish to keep their eyes in for the game season. To succeed at it, a man needs to be absolutely fit to maintain the concentration of eye and brain necessary. The most interesting feature of the sport to the onlooker is the ingenious trap which hurls the clays out and up before the shooters. The trap is housed 20yds or so in front of the firing base. ’ One person is engaged feeding it with clays, and behind the line another controls the release which fires each successive clay. Leaving the trap, the clay is travel- j ling at the rate of 70 miles an hour. ; and 40ft way from the trap its speed is about 65ft a second. It travels in I all 40yds from the trap. A new trap has recently been installed at the Metropolitan Club’s grounds. Automatically, it determines the direction of each clay fired, and may hurl it out at any point of an angle slightly larger than a right angle. No two successive clays are shot out in exactly the same direction. When this, along with the size of the clay itself and the speed at which, it travels, is considered, it can readily be seen that a clay-bird is no easy target. But such is the precision of the eye and nerve that possible scores at clay-bird shoots are by no

means uncommon. On Saturday the winner of the Kay-Stratton Rose Bowl at Glen Eden, W. J. Turner, went through two 15-bird matches and secured the possible first barrel every time. Clay-bird shooting came into being just under 40 years ago. It was started by Captain Asa Whitney, of Melbourne, and later introduced to New Zealand by Captain Whitney. At first, Captain Whitney manufactured feather clay birds, and it is from this,

"no doubt, that the sport derives its' name. Later, glass bulbs, filled with soot, were used, so that when a hit was recorded it could plainly be seen by the shower of black dust. The New Zealand Inanimate ClayBird Association, with which was affiliated about 50 clubs, was later formed. About 15 years ago the sport died down considerably, but post-war years have seen a revival in New Zealand. Clay-bird shooting has also taken on in England and America, in both

T’"of which countries it is at present enjoying increasing popularity. Clay-bird shooting is a bloodless but skilled sport. Its very simplicity provides excitement for the crack shot and mere tyro alike. The competitors usually lire in turn in bands of three. The first man in the line brings his gun to his shoulder. At the word “pull” from him, the man behind pulls the release, and the clay is flashed as if from nowhere into sight, to remain there for a time, and j then sink again. Jf. the shot is ac- 1

Where “Getting the Bird” Pays ... A Ballistic Machine . . . Dozen Guns Valued at £I,OOO

curate, the clay is shattered, and falls in fragments to the ground. If the first barrel misses, the shooter uses his second. Hit or miss seems to make no difference to the type of sportsman who follows clay-bird shooting. The scorer puts down “kill one” or “miss,” and the shooter opens his still smoking gun, pulls out the empties, and lines up for the next shot. An amazing collection of* firearms can be seen at a clay-bird shoot. A true sportsman’s shot-

gun is to him almost part of himself, just as is a cricketer’s favourite bat. At Glen Eden on Saturday there was one shotgun valued at £165, and three others at £l2O. Tomorrow, the two Auckland clubs are sending teams to compete with the Hamilton Club for the Reid Cup. at present held by the Waikato men. Following are the officers of the Metropolitan Club: —President. Dr. T. 11. Pettit: secretary, Mr. L. Stent: vicepresidents. Messrs. J. C. Whitney and A. E. Macredie; treasurer. Mr. P. X. Gallie; referee. Mr. D. Stoupe. On November 5 the club is holding two £SO open handicap matches, of 21 birds each. Skeet shooting is a variation of clay-pigeon shooting which originated in America some twelve years ago and is now very popular there. It lias been estimated that 30,000,000 cartridges and clays are used in the sport every year. It began when a small group of upland gunners looked about for some form of wing shooting practice That would permit the use of their favourite brush guns, and offer a series of shots similar to those met with in actual hunting.

However, this form of the sport has not yet caught on in New Zealand. Clay-bird shooting is a sport which makes a special appeal to lovers of the outdoors, of hill and dale, and the smell of blue cartridge smoke. The Metropolitan Club’s grounds at Glen Eden is within easy travelling distance of the city. If not unite in the country, sportsmen can get very near the real game-shooting atmosphere at Glen Eden. The sport is more expensive than most other popular pastimes, but for keen clay-bird shooters that obstacle can be overcome. One of the most consistent. shots at the club’s meetings is Mr. It. 11. Bartley, general manager of the Auckland Electric Power Board. Mr. J'. C. Whitney, one of the Metropolitan vice-presidents, is managing director of the Colonial Ammunition Company. Mr. C. A. Whitney, of the same firm, is also an enthusiastic supporter, and Detective Knight is numbered among the sport’s devotees also. Youth and age is represented in both extremes. Mr. A. Lomas, at the age of 71, shot with unerring accuracy on Saturday, and is still recognised as one of the most successful live-bird shots in Auckland. The sport has many women adherents in England and America, but although they follow it keenly from the pavilion in Auckland, members of the fair sex have yet to try their skill with the shotgun.